Sasha

In Russian, the usual familiar contraction of the name Alexandr; cf Alex in English. Also sometimes transliterated via French as Sacha; and used in that form as a forename there (popularised by Sacha Distel, of course). In anglophone areas in recent years, appears to have been adopted more often as a girl's name, presumably on the basis that any name ending in -a has to be female.

The codename for an alleged KGB mole who, it is theorized, penetrated some of the highest ranks of the CIA. Anatoli Golitsin, a Soviet defector, claimed that Sasha did in fact exist, and the KGB planned to flood the US with false defectors to cover his tracks. CIA director of counter-intelligence James Jesus Angleton was highly supportive of Golitsin, but the matter was never officially resolved.

An intriguingly inscrutable lead character from the webcomic serial strip Sluggy Freelance.

A bit of a johnny-come-lately leading lady, she rapidly insinuated her way into the plot (and the affections of Riff) by filling in for Gwynn, who was away being possessed by an ancient demon at the time, and never looked back.

By coincidence or careful planning, she has since succesfully become one of the strip's most mysterious and wildly speculated about characters: Is she on the level? Is she a spy for some sinister power? or pursuing some goal known only to herself? why does she remain so cool in the face of gibbering craziness? what's with the spying on Riff's secret files? And just what is the deal with the continual occurences of her and the number 3?

After the Dangerous Days Ahead mega-arc, she quietly 'moved to Seattle', leaving behind rather more questions than answers. No doubt she'll be making a grand return some time in 2003, but don't hold your breath waiting for any answers...

Exactly what she did to deserve a male Russian first name remains a mystery.